Deuteronomy 2 15

Deuteronomy 2:15 kjv

For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.

Deuteronomy 2:15 nkjv

For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed.

Deuteronomy 2:15 niv

The LORD's hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them from the camp.

Deuteronomy 2:15 esv

For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from the camp, until they had perished.

Deuteronomy 2:15 nlt

The LORD struck them down until they had all been eliminated from the community.

Deuteronomy 2 verses

Deuteronomy 2 15 Meaning

Deuteronomy 2:15 serves as a profound explanation for the protracted wilderness wanderings of the Israelites, explicitly stating that it was the active, judgmental hand of the LORD that relentlessly destroyed the disobedient generation. This divine intervention systematically purged those who rebelled and refused to enter the Promised Land, ensuring that they perished from the assembly before the new generation could enter Canaan. It underscores God's unwavering justice and the severe consequences of unbelief and disobedience to His commands.

Deuteronomy 2 15 Context

Deuteronomy 2 begins Moses' recollection of Israel's journey through the wilderness, specifically from the time of their departure from Kadesh Barnea after their rebellion (Num 14). Moses addresses a new generation, born during the forty-year wandering, on the plains of Moab, just before they are to enter the Promised Land. The immediate context of verse 15 (verses 14-15) explains why their journey lasted forty years and why the older generation died off. Moses explicitly attributes the passing of the original rebellious generation—those twenty years old and above who disbelieved God's promise and rebelled against His command to enter Canaan—to the direct and intentional judgment of the LORD. This historical account serves as a solemn warning and foundational teaching for the new generation, impressing upon them the absolute necessity of obedience and faith to inherit God's promises and avoid the same fate.

Deuteronomy 2 15 Word analysis

• For indeed / For (כִּי, ki): This particle introduces a strong explanatory clause or emphatic assertion. It signals that what follows is the reason or justification for the preceding statement, specifically for the prolonged forty-year journey (v. 14). It implies a direct causal link.
• the hand of the LORD (יַד יְהוָה, yad Yahweh): "Hand" (yad) is a powerful biblical metaphor representing divine power, activity, authority, and intervention. It often signifies God's direct agency in working His will, whether for blessing, provision, or, as here, judgment and destruction. It emphasizes God's active, personal involvement in the Israelites' plight, not a passive or indirect consequence.
• was against them (הָיְתָה בָם, hayetah bam): This phrase highlights God's adversarial posture. "Against" (בְּ, b') with a preposition of location (here, "among them") denotes direct opposition and hostility. It indicates God's purposeful and active stand against the disobedient generation. This was not a random misfortune but a deliberate divine antagonism.
• to destroy them (לְהֻמָּם, lehumam): Derived from the root ה.מ.ם (h.m.m), meaning "to discomfit," "throw into confusion," or "destroy utterly." This word choice suggests a chaotic, disorienting, and overwhelming destruction, implying God actively intervened to bring about their demise through various means (plagues, natural death, weariness, despair) until their generation was completely eliminated.
• from among the host (מִקֶּרֶב הַמַּחֲנֶה, miqqerev hammaḥaneh): "Host" (maḥaneh) refers to the military encampment or the entire community of Israel arrayed in their tribal formation. It stresses that the judgment was specifically targeted within God's covenant people, distinguishing them from outside enemies. The purge was an internal purification, ensuring only the faithful remnants remained.
• until they were consumed (עַד תֻּמָּם, ‘ad tummam): From the root ת.מ.ם (t.m.m), meaning "to be complete," "finished," or "come to an end." It conveys totality and finality. Not merely a partial reduction, but an absolute end to that particular generation. It confirms that the entire original, rebellious cohort had fully passed away, marking the completion of God's forty-year sentence.
• words-group analysis:
  • The Hand of the LORD… to destroy them: This phrase reveals the depth of divine wrath and commitment to covenant purity. It's not abstract "nature" or "chance" that caused their demise, but a deliberate act of Yahweh. This polemics against the idea that any other power controlled Israel’s destiny or that Yahweh was unable to fulfill His threats.
  • from among the host, until they were consumed: This signifies a divine winnowing process within the community. It wasn't about destroying the people of Israel, but about destroying a specific rebellious generation within Israel. It emphasizes God's holiness demanding a purified people for His presence and purposes in the Promised Land. This boundary sets a severe precedent for faithfulness.

Deuteronomy 2 15 Bonus section

This verse subtly refutes any potential Israelite inclination to attribute their long wanderings and the loss of life to unfortunate circumstances, fate, or the actions of foreign deities. It firmly places ultimate authority and causality in the hands of Yahweh alone. The specific targeting "from among the host" underscores God's meticulous justice, separating the righteous (Joshua and Caleb, who were preserved) from the wicked, emphasizing the importance of individual and corporate accountability under the Mosaic covenant. The fulfillment of the Num 14 prophecy, through divine intervention, is thus explicitly reaffirmed.

Deuteronomy 2 15 Commentary

Deuteronomy 2:15 serves as a theological summation of a crucial period in Israelite history: the wilderness wandering. It declares, without ambiguity, that the death of the disobedient generation was not mere happenstance but the direct, sovereign act of God. The "hand of the LORD" is depicted as active, formidable, and uncompromisingly just, carrying out a sentence pronounced against unbelief and rebellion (Numbers 14). This passage is critical for understanding the severity with which God views disobedience, particularly within His covenant people. It reinforces the principle that God's promises are conditioned on obedience and faith, and His threats against rebellion are equally true and certain. The elimination "from among the host" speaks to a divine purge, preparing a new, hopefully more obedient, generation to inherit the land. It stands as a solemn warning against taking God's patience for granted and neglecting the seriousness of His commands, applicable across all dispensations of faith. For example, similar principles manifest in the purification of the church in the New Testament, reminding believers of the need for persistent faith and obedience.